Astroworld Atrocity

Courtesy+of+MTV+International++

Courtesy of MTV International

Friday November 5, Jaques Webster, also known as Travis Scott, performed at his Astroworld festival in Houston, Texas. Not even an hour into his set, a crowd surge had begun. The crowd was tightly packed, but this was something that the singer’s concerts were known for. Heavy mosh-pits and chaos were something that Scott heavily encouraged. But this wasn’t a normal mosh-pit. This was one caused eight people lose their lives that night. The victim’s ages range from 14 to 27, just people wanting to see a concert, probably one of the first since the mass quarantine. 

But Travis Scott, the man on the stage that everyone knew, continued on, not addressing a single thing, even when screams of distress could very clearly be heard from the crowd. Videos even surfaced from the event, that show concert goers doing their best to try and get the attention of someone who can help them, climbing doing as much as climbing on the platform of the a cameraman. None of this was new for Scott, he has on multiple occasions been arrested for inciting riots at his concerts. In 2015, he encouraged fans to jump barricades and bypass security, and again in 2017. Both times he has pleaded guilty and got off with probation and paying fines. 

Now some have stated that no one was at fault for the chaos started, but it leaves you to wonder, do you really care for your fans? You’re encouraging mass destruction with no limits putting those who idolize you in the line of fire. Most singers, when seeing something that shouldn’t be happening from their spot on stage, use their voice to put an end to it. Adele, Kurt Cobain, Lil Pump, Tim Mcgraw and many other artists have videos surfacing of them stopping concerts to help a fan since the Astroworld incident, giving a example of what should’ve happened at the concert. 

When going to a concert there are so many things to expect, people possibly under the influence, others who want to go and start fights just for any reason, but you don’t intend on not making out of a concert. I understand when concerts get a little crazy and people are enjoying themselves but the actions of thousands of people being manipulated by one person on stage isn’t right. I believe that Travis Scott should take a little more responsibility, for what happened that night and not just release a small tweet about the incident. The rest of the music festival has been cancelled and probably for good reason as officials try and figure out the rest of the details of the horrible night.